Silent Landings

I noticed that certain dancers, even the big jumpers like Cornejo and Acosta, 99% of the time have silent landings. Does this have to do with technique, or is it a natural talent? Can you learn to have silent landings??? Is it a sign of a correct landing. How important is it in the illusionary aspects of dance? I am not a dancer, so if anyone can enlighten me on it, please do!!! I know it enhances my enjoyment when I think of a performance afterwards. I do cringe when I here a very noisy landing.

This is a pet peeve of one of my teachers. She has explained that a quiet landing is possible by relaxing the foot at the proper time during the descent of the jump. Of course, when jumping in pointe shoes it is much much more difficult!

This is one of the many features of a good demi plie. If a dancer (in soft slippers ) lands first through the joints of the foot then the knee, the foot and knee both resisting the landing and absorbing the weight of the body, the impact on both the floor and the body is lessened. Often, if there is a thud, it is due to a particular dancer's relatively short achilles tendon, which doesn't allow the leg to bend to the necessary degree to silence the landing.

Also, I find a dancer with a deep and supple demi plie just gives a better overall impression. Between releves (for example, the retires in Kitri's variation, when she may be slyly fanning herself), a deeper preparatory plie gives tends to accentuate the "up" of the full pointe.

Silent landings are learned, not natural. You have to absorb the energy of the jump gradually (using the articulation of the feet and the plie) - the thud comes when that energy hits the stage all at once. All jumps are taught to land silently, but it is not easy! so sometimes a thud will get through. I would consider someone who consistently lands noisily to have poor jumping technique - it is also very bad for the joints.